Proud siblings remember mom, dad
SONIL, Sajil and Kirash Ramharak graduated with qualifications in teaching last week at a University of KwaZulu-Natal graduation ceremony.
Sonil and Sajil, 24-year-old twins, studied towards a Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree at the UKZN Edgewood campus in 2020.
They further pursued an Honours degree in BEd, with a focus on language and media studies, which they completed in 2022.
Kirash, 22, completed his BEd degree in 2022.
The siblings, from Phoenix, all matriculated from Greenbury Secondary School.
The twins said they were awarded scholarships by UKZN to pursue their Honours degrees.
“After carefully evaluating our abilities and desire to widen and reform our knowledge in our careers, we decided to carry out an Honours degree in language and media studies.
“Our interest lies in the field of language and media, solely. We were curious to learn how these two very different entities work.”
Sajil said her research was based on early childhood development.
“Early age is a phase where children begin to make sense and gather meaning of the world around them, and have yet to develop to their full potential.
“They learn different ways to interact and communicate with their surroundings.
“The purpose of the project was to find out the relationship between electronic media and language development in early childhood.”
Sonil’s research was based on the impact of social media usage on student academic performance.
“Social media is a fast-changing public discourse in society and has reached our academic institutions.
“As a result, students tend to spend the vast majority of their time on these platforms. This has a direct influence on their performance at schools.”
Two years ago, during their studies, they lost their father, Ike. While going through that, they also had to take care of their mother, Sharm, who recently lost her battle with cancer.
“Two years ago, in the midst of our studies, we lost our father due to his health condition. We found grief while studying to be isolating.”
Sonil said the experience was deeply traumatic.
“We still had to juggle classes, studying, activities and work. We deeply appreciate our parents who painstakingly laid the foundation for our academic journey. This would not have been possible without their support, guidance, endless sacrifices and words of encouragement when our respective degrees seemed impossible to continue.
“They taught us morals and values that we still hold to high standards today. One of the greatest things my parents did was to teach us about sacrifice. Sometimes in life you might have to give something up to make someone else happy,” said Sonil.
Sajil said: “Our parents are great examples of this. They gave up many things to put our happiness before their own. We do not think we could ever thank them enough for everything they have done and given up for us.
“My parents enriched our lives with their passion for helping others and going above and beyond what is expected. With their endless love to everyone they have met and everything they have achieved together, we have witnessed their lives to be truly exceptional,” said Sajil.
They said studying was not always easy.
“Difficulties and challenges do not change the importance of receiving valuable knowledge and a degree with impressive grades.
“One of the biggest challenges we have had to tackle was low motivation. We struggled to get rid of the things that distracted us from concentrating on our education,” said Sajil.
They said completing their thesis was a glorious moment.
“The fact that we could possibly affect a young person’s life is exciting to us. The primary reason why we decided to pursue this career is because we feel a strong desire to positively influence and educate children.
“One of the major satisfactions of being a teacher is to enrich a student’s life. This is a very profound and satisfying way to spend a day at work,” said Sajil.
“We recognise that patience, understanding, compassion and sensitivity are essential to this profession, which we are wholeheartedly prepared to provide.
“We believe the ability to learn is one of the most important developments of humanity,” she said.
Sonil and Sajil are currently pursuing their Master’s in Curriculum Studies.
Kirash said graduation for him represented the culmination of a journey and the attainment of a goal.
“As a brother, I am honoured to have shared this special day with my twin sisters.
“It symbolises the climax of our academic journey and marks the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.
“It is a day of celebration, reflection and gratitude that will be cherished by us,” he said.
He advised undergraduate students to “set high personal and academic standards for yourself, and live up to them”.
“Listen to that little voice inside your head that says ‘I can do this.’
“Always believe in yourself and settle for nothing less than your very best.
“Willingness to accept anything less than the very best too often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy,” said Kirash.